Cigol

The game is good but it's a little sterile so if you don't appreciate race craft you're not going to get much out of it I don't think. I imagine a lot of people take it for a spin and instantly decide; booorrring, because as amazing as the graphics are they really only come into play with the replay & garage. Those attracted by eye candy alone are undoubtedly disappointed. Still the graphics are, as you say, amazing, which [fanboy rant] is why it annoys me people still say the PS3 has difficulties displaying textures without blurring them (case in point; a lot of third party, multiplatform, titles) but take it round London in GT5p and it'd completely end that discussion I'd have thought (but no). [/fanboy rant] I'm looking forward to GT5, the increased number of cars and more importantly tracks is going to be enough to get me interested again - the addition of damage and various other gameplay improvements will be the icing on the cake... of course, when will they ever finish it? BTW if you like racing games you should try GRiD. It's arcadey with a nice selection of vehicle types and a fancy damage model. I found it a lot of fun, especially online. The demolition derby cars are great. Multiplayer works (and is good in the way it rewards you with points) but from my last play-through it's full of rammers (!) and with no private rooms or control over the way server selection works you are automatically paired up at random. It was fun from time to time but I like longer races, and there's no pit stops or fuel & tyre wear to make it interesting. My experience was typically getting knocked off the track in the first corner on purpose, nnarrgh!

I've not played it much recently either, partly because I'm playing some sports titles (online) but mainly because of the crashing that occurs occasionally and requires a hard reset. Have they even got around to patching that yet - I've not heard anything. It's a good game, especially considering how much it costs, and I personally enjoyed the singleplayer - it would have been easy to have omitted that campaign mode and got away with it. Maybe an appreciation for the original helps but I think you just have to perservere - are you actually playing the game, or just 'fudging it' (for lack of a better expression ).

Best thread ever.

Also, there's a lot of potential for non-generic platforming. Just look at that tetris 'level'. I read about a level where you are stuck in a washing machine as well... when people get their hands on this properly there is bound to be some really cool shit that's not just a simple 'walk around here, get in this rocket here, land on some clouds here and jump around some more here' type affair. Like your new level Spaff Is the music tailored to the level or is that just coincidence (when the rocket crashes and you get out - the mood changes).

Teachers comments; must try harder

Had a second crashed PS3 with this earlier today. Something isn't right - and I don't have anywhere near 50 people on my friend list so that isn't the problem (which has been suggested elsewhere)

http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/21640 A rendition of a Mario level in the LBP engine. It's not exactly scintillating stuff. Clearly the level isn't suited to take advantage of the LBP engine so it's completely and utterly unfair to judge the game on this alone - but I'm still not liking how stale the traditional platforming elements are. Maybe it feels better to control it yourself but it just doesn't look like much fun running around and jumping... anyone in the beta able to share some insight? Of course, then you see stuff like this and you just know there's going to be more concepts like it that will work once people are au fait with the tools.

It is a very good implementation of the sixaxis motion control, and it can also run in tandem with the traditional controls so I'll be sure to give it a try at some point. What sensitivity do you have yours set at though? I should say I had my second ever PS3 crash playing this. Launched into a multiplayer game, got onto the starting grid and found I had to (surprisingly) hard-reset the machine as it had locked up. The only ever time it's done that in the past was with... World Championship Snooker. Hopefully just one of those things. Indeed. You've also been playing some Japanese game with trophies, what is that?

WipEout HD is out already? I didn't get no memo...

Disney you say? You sure about that?

That's my understanding. They look great on the PS3 so either it's good track design combined with high-resolution textures or they've taken those track layouts and tweaked & improved them for the new version... or both. I wouldn't know because I've never played the PSP games I think I've read they will be releasing add-on tracks in the future so hopefully they are original designs. I wouldn't mind some non-generic track layouts either, especially with its multiplayer capabilities.

Gah! Need to be registered on Eurogamer to qualify and the chances of getting through their registration process right now? Yep, not good. *sigh* nevermind, I'll play it for keeps when it's released for real. Can't wait personally (even if the platforming appears a bit boring/pedestrian in the videos).

Played the demo, thought it was shit. Rented the full game - played it for five minutes and put it back in its envelope for return. Utter, utter shit. If I want Star Wars I'll watch the films, read the books or use my imagination. Playing the game is a waste of time.

It was like that in the original GTA games, so probably.

How much are they paying you Rodi? It can't be worth it

The thing that gets me, like GTA4, isn't the whole physics engine just middleware? I mean - I know they have to implement it, but it's not like they laboured creating it is it?

I remember that announcement but it completely slipped off my radar when writing the post. How very convenient You're right, STEAM is a great service - designed to do exactly what they need it to, and they have some interesting plans for it in the future. I just wonder whether it isn't' doing enough in the short-term. I don't feel like they update STEAM nearly enough, like it stagnates. Maybe it's a perception problem, as clearly they have plans for it, but I guess I'd like it if they were more on the ball with keeping it fresh. Both Impulse and XFire offer more community features in terms of blogging and so forth (frivilous though they are), and their customisation options are more numerous especially in terms of how the application operates. XFire features integrated screenshot & video capture plus voice chat and various other little nick-nacks which leave you questioning how a free service can compete in functionality with something like STEAM (especially with it's woefully under-developed achievements feature).

I've only noticed (as Wrestle already pointed out) advertisements for relevant products on Steam itself? But is it really as fantastic as you say? I'm not going to be scared off by Toblix's bad experience (toblix complains pre-empted), but they have less functionality that most other services like XFire or Impulse and they don't really have much in the way of a development cycle - I mean, when should we expect the next batch of improvements... hell, are any even coming! For me all they have going in their favour is the catalogue and Valve. ...and I'm a huge fan of STEAM and what it represents for PC gaming (something I can't see being taken away from it by anyone other than EA or Microsoft).

Recently watched Iron Man in HD and was blown away by the special effects. They were so utterly convincing - right up to the predictably lame ending action sequence. At no point did I find myself questioning the CGI, I just sat back and enjoyed the film which in retrospect is very rare for something that employs it so heavily. There are films with brilliant special effects like the Lord of the Rings which have all too evident jarring flaws to break the suspension of belief, but I don't recall anything like that in the Iron Man, or maybe I'm just laying on the praise a bit thick

Search engines will still index it, and the subforum has a description highlighting their inclusion - but aside from that I don't know How do they currently come by it?

??? Do you want to see pokemon friend codes? If so, sign up to the forums right now using our universally recognisable forum registration form. Not only is it quick, easy and available in almost every language known to Cigol, but it's also super exclusive to Idle Thumbs. If people are dissuaded by registration, and I know that's a possiblity as I am occasionally myself, then I don't see how they hold much potential value as future members of the forum. I'd say those that bite the bullet and register simply to see pokemon friend codes (!?) have a greater incentive down the line as members (whether that's in a couple of days, weeks, or years) because, you know, they actually registered. ...flip a coin?

Am I going crazy or did the post reply button just do a number on me and move to the other side of the forum As for Mercenaries 2, I like it. It's fun, it's bombastic and it's very easy to pick up and play. The cooperative multiplayer is a nice touch too, as people can just jump in and out of a 'singleplayer' game at any time and help you inflict carnage. I liken it to freedom fighters and GTA, although not as good as either, but similar in the shooting mechanics of the former and the sandbox gameplay of the latter - but it never feels like a clone. It can be annoying and it's got a swathe of faults, but assuming you're just playing it for a laugh I can't see how that would affect your enjoyment. It's one of those games where the reviews are right, but who cares?

I've read that the more spikes and things you have on your creature then the more wary other creatures will be. There's probably lots of little things like this which aren't documented, but it'll take time for it to come to light. I don't know - it does seem rather shallow to me but I still enjoy it.

whaaaaatever. Look, no one cares if you like penis monsters ffs. But he wouldn't be able to post, he's not registered

Is it readable to the public? You could make it private to only registered members. That would give it some merit beyond your OCD like need for tidiness